Currently, when importing P2 files, we have to copy both the audio and the video mxf files from the card seperately onto the hard drive (shared cameras, so we can't leave them in the edit bay to pull from), though we only have to import the video file into PPro. The method I've managed to come up with is clunky and pretty labor intensive (though time wise it is a great savings over real time dumping of video). If we don't pull in the audio seperately, then we have no audio in the clips.

Is there a quicker/better way I just haven't figured out yet? I'd really like to only have the reporters pull in one file for each clip, not three.

Currently, when importing P2 files, we have to copy both the audio and the video mxf files from the card seperately onto the hard drive (shared cameras, so we can't leave them in the edit bay to pull from), though we only have to import the video file into PPro. The method I've managed to come up with is clunky and pretty labor intensive (though time wise it is a great savings over real time dumping of video). If we don't pull in the audio seperately, then we have no audio in the clips.

Oh. Yikes. Ouch. Stop that

Is there a quicker/better way I just haven't figured out yet? I'd really like to only have the reporters pull in one file for each clip, not three.

Yes, much.

I'm not sure how you have your hard drives organized, so apply your own variables here, but if I were doing this in a news setting, I'd do something like this:

Pre-build a folder structure on your hard drive in an organizational framework that makes sense to you. For example, create a series of folders incremented by date, like 20101109, 20101110, 20101111 or however else you like. Date would be good so that (depending on how long you keep your footage around) you always know where to find stuff that happened on a particular day.

If there are multiple cards shot on a particular day, make incremental folders inside, like 001, 002, 003, and so on.

Into each incremental folder, copy EVERYTHING off of the P2 card; this means the whole CONTENTS folder structure and everything beneath it. You want to keep that folder structure intact, and when it comes to copying, it's a heck of a lot easier to grab one thing than a whole bunch.

In Premiere, use the Media Browser (that file browser looking thingy down in the bottom corner) to navigate into your date/incremental folders. When Premiere detects the P2 structure, it will automatically flip the Media Browser into P2 mode, and you will see thumbnails (and clip names, if they were applied) appear in the list.

The reporter can double-click a clip to load it into the source monitor and preview it, and from there either drop it in a bin or directly into a sequence (it's automatically added to the Project Panel/bin). Loading in this clip reference brings in all constituent parts--which is another reason that it's important to keep the P2 folder structure intact.

That's pretty much it. At the file level, you can figure out an organizational scheme that makes sense for your operation. Let me know if that all makes sense or if you need more detail.